The Apostle John gives us two stories in this chapter: the Savior’s first miracle at the marriage festival in Cana of Galilee, and the story of cleansing the Temple in Jerusalem on Passover. John places these stories in chapter two for several reasons:

First, they follow the theme of beit  — the second letter in the Hebrew alphabet. As we have suggested in our book, The Mystery of the Menorah and the Hebrew Alphabet, this second Hebrew letter alludes to duality, marriage, the home, and the house of God. In ancient days, the beit was drawn like a house in order to depict either the house of man or the house of God. In this chapter, John uses both themes. He uses the house of man, as seen in the marriage festival, and the house of God, as seen in the Savior’s cleansing the Temple.

Furthermore, just as aleph stands for "one" — the one Creator/God (as seen in the first chapter of John’s Gospel), beit stands for "two" — such as the creation of woman out of man. No longer was Adam only one individual, but out of him, God made woman as a second person. Often, in a "second" chapter (as in Genesis 2), the theme of marriage is used. Also, in a "second" book (as in Exodus) we can see the story of marriage — as in God taking Israel for His wife. Furthermore, the book of Exodus conforms to the other meaning of beit by telling us about the construction of the tabernacle — the house of God.

Beit also represents duality — as in the conflict between good and evil. With the story about Jesus driving the money changers out of the Temple, John utilizes this particular concept.

Secondly, this chapter in John’s Gospel offers the same theme as that used in the second chapter of Revelation. We can see the theme of marriage in the letter to Ephesus — the church (i.e., bride) who left her "first love" (Rev. 2:4). We can see the theme of cleansing the Temple in these letters to the churches, in which Jesus says, "I have somewhat against thee" (v. 4). To Ephesus, He speaks of "them which are evil … which say they are apostles, and are not" (v. 2); to Smyrna, He speaks of "them which say they are Jews and are not" (v. 9); to Pergamos, He speaks of "them that hold the doctrine of Balaam … and the doctrine of the Nicolatanes" (vv. 14, 15); and to Thyatira, He speaks of "Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication ..." (v. 20).

The letters to the seven churches also represent the house of God, the other distinct meaning of beit. As we shall see, these general themes will continue into chapter three in both the Gospel and Revelation.

What first appears to be a simple recounting of the ministry of Christ, can also be understood in terms of the Sohd or secret level of interpretation — probing the mind of God.

There is a prophetic concept presented in this chapter concerning the numbers 2, 3 and 6. Even the verses, in which the numbers are recorded, seem to be significant — verses 1,6 and 19:

"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there" (v. 1).

"And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece" (v. 6).

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (v. 19).

I am persuaded that when John tells us about the marriage that took place on the "third" day, and that Jesus promised to rebuild the Temple on the "third" day, he was alluding to the concept of millennial days — the third millennium after the First Advent. Furthermore, the "six" water pots seem to allude to six thousand years of human history. In the seventh millennium, there will be a marriage — the "marriage of the Lamb" (Rev. 19); and the establishment of a new Temple, wherein Christ will reign upon the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.

In these two stories, John alludes to the Second Advent of Christ. There are many examples of this in the Bible. In each case, it seems that we are given a view of the beginning and concluding events of this dispensation — yet, not a complete view. We can see the beginning of the Church Age with allusions to the end of the Church Age, but with few details about the intervening two thousand years.

The biblical prophets tell about the beginning of the fifth millennium and the end of the sixth millennium, without filling us in with details concerning the end of the fifth millennium or the beginning of the sixth millennium. It seems that these two millennia are so well connected to each other they cannot be separated. For example, there is nothing in biblical prophecy about the rise of Islam or the European Crusades. There are virtually no details about the history of nations — especially the United States. These historic events do not seem to be pertinent to God’s overall plan. The closest thing we have to a preview of the Church Age is the presentation of the seven letters in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3. In seven brief letters, John moves us from the First Advent to the Second Advent of Christ. As we shall see, John 2 & 3, along with Revelation 2 & 3, cover a period of 2,000 years — the dispensation of Grace, commonly known as the Church Age.

The Bible often contains broad statements that describe the beginning and the ending of our dispensation. One of the finest and the most recognized examples is the reading of Isaiah by Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth. It is recorded in Luke 4:16. Here is the example of a prophetic passage that describes both the beginning and the ending of this dispensation, leaving out the intervening details:

"And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down" (Luke 4:16-20).

Please note that our Savior did not finish reading the sentence. He read the part of the prophecy that declared "the acceptable year of the Lord," but He did not read the part that told about the end of this dispensation, namely "… the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:2).

Many commentaries have suggested that the verse is a clue to the understanding of prophecy. The "acceptable year of the Lord" opens this dispensation, and the "day of vengeance of our God" will close it. There are at least 2,000 intervening years between those two events.

There are many such verses in the Bible that deal with the beginning and the ending of this era. Another is found in I Peter 1:10,11. Peter mentioned the ancient prophets and how they were unable to discern the time factor separating their prophecies. He wrote:

"Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (I Pet. 1:10,11).

Peter wrote that Old Testament prophets could not determine the difference between their prophecies about the First Advent and those concerning the Second Advent of the Messiah. They went back to their own writings and searched in an effort to separate the "sufferings" of Christ, which occurred at His First Advent, and the "glory" that will one day come at His Second Advent. The sufferings of Christ introduced this dispensation, and the glory of Christ will conclude it.

Another example is found in Acts 2. It occurred on the day of Pentecost, as Peter explained the appearance of what the Bible described as "tongues of fire that sat upon each of them." Peter quoted from Joel:

"And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:16-18).

At this point Peter has described the beginning of this dispensation. But the rest of Joel’s prophecy speaks of those events that will conclude this dispensation. There are at least 2,000 years between the description of the Spirit being poured out upon all flesh and the following events that will occur in the future:

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come" (Acts 2:19,20).

That part of Joel’s prophecy was not fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. The sun did not turn into darkness, or the moon into blood. Those events will come to pass at the conclusion of this dispensation, but Peter may not have known that. He may have thought that the sun was about to go out on that very day. It seems that he did not know where to stop quoting Joel’s prophecy. But we know that the sun did not turn dark on the day of Pentecost or in the days following. The world is still awaiting the fulfillment of the last part of Joel’s prophecy.

This is another example of prophetic Scriptures that allude to the beginning of the fifth millennium and the concluding events of this dispensation, without giving details about the intervening years.

Hosea gives us a clear prophecy of the fifth and sixth millennia. The prophet begins with the "young lion" of "Judah" (Bethlehem and the First Advent), then moves forward "two days," in which Israel is afflicted. After two millennial days, Israel will be restored:

"After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight" (Hosea 5:14,15 & 6:1,2).

Our starting point is in Hosea 5:14, where the Messiah comes as the "young lion to the house of Judah." That would be Bethlehem at the Savior’s First Advent. He came the first time to "tear and go away," a reference to the ascension and subsequent destruction of Jerusalem.

After two millennial "days" (i.e., 2,000 years) Israel will be restored … "early" (Hebrew term rja shachar, meaning "dawn" — in the dawning years of the third millennium). In the third day (i.e., third millennium) Christ will raise them up. The holocaust of World War II, and the subsequent birth of Israel in 1948, brings us close to the Second Advent of the Messiah.

Christ should soon return. Yet, Hosea wrote about these days as if nothing of significance happened between them. We are told about the beginning of the dispensation and the conclusion of the dispensation, without any historical milestones in between.

Having now understood the way the prophets wrote about the beginning of the fifth millennium and conclusion of the sixth millennium, let us note that John opens this chapter with an event that occurred at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry (i.e., the marriage in Cana) and then adds the story about cleansing the Temple, for the sole purpose of showing that this first-century chapter offers a secret prophecy about the Savior’s Second Advent.

We shall touch upon this again when we discuss the cleansing of the Temple. But first, let us review …

"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee" (John 2:1).

This marriage took place on "the third day." John had previously told us about four special days:

1. The day that the delegation from the Temple questioned the Baptist (John 1:19)

2. The day John introduced the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29)

3. The day John told his disciples that Jesus is the "Lamb" (John 1:36)

4. The day Jesus prepared to travel north (John 1:43)

These days may not have been in sequential order, but rather in the order of the Jewish festivals of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Nor does the marriage festival have to be held after two days of travel from the area of Judea around Jericho to the regions of Cana. John’s use of the term "the third day" simply means that the wedding was held on Wednesday, and that the bride was a maid. No weddings could be celebrated on Fridays, Sabbaths, or Sundays. The marriages of maids took place on Wednesdays, whereas the marriages of widows or divorcees took place on Thursdays. For a wedding to take place on the "third day," simply means that the counting starts with Monday since no preparations for weddings were allowed on Sundays.

Jesus could have made the journey to Cana in two days, but that would be a difficult and tiring journey for most people. This marriage could have taken place at an extended period of time from the journey up from Judea. It could have been held weeks or even months later:

"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him" (John 2:1-11).

The marriage took place on "the third day," alluding to the "marriage of the Lamb" that will take place after two thousand years — in the third millennium. We are told about this marriage in Revelation 19. One might think that if this story in John, chapter 2, is related to Revelation, chapter 2, then the marriage of the Lamb should be told in Revelation 2. The fact is, John alluded to the marriage in the letter to Ephesus, as having "left thy first love" (Rev. 2:4), but rightly places the marriage in chapter 19, because of the timing of its fulfillment. It is a theme that is introduced in chapter 2, but actually occurs toward the end of the book of Revelation. It seems that John also does the same thing with his story about cleansing the Temple. As we shall see, Matthew, Mark and Luke place that story at the end of Jesus’ three and a half-year ministry, but John places it in the second chapter of his Gospel. We shall learn more about that later.

Note that we are not given the details of the marriage ceremony, or the participants — only that they ran out of wine and needed help. It seems that Mary not only attended, but may have been in charge of the provisions. Perhaps, she was related to the groom.

When presented with the problem, Jesus told His mother that His "hour had not yet come" (v. 4). By this, He probably meant that He had not yet gone into the wilderness to experience 40 days of fasting and the temptation of the devil to turn "stones" into "bread" (Matt. 4:3). The devil may have been alluding to the fact that Jesus had recently turned water into wine when he challenged the Savior to turn stones into bread.

Somehow, Mary knew that her petition would be honored. This tells us that Jesus always pays attention to our prayers, whatever they may be. In Luke’s Gospel, the Savior tells us that He will always meet our needs. He said:

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:30-34).

This is a wonderful promise — and a challenge for us to accept. If, in this life, we will work for the kingdom, our temporal needs will be met and our eternal rewards will await us. In the chapter before us, John tells us about this first miracle to let us know that Jesus will provide for our needs. All we need to do is ask.

There were six water pots, each capable of holding either 18 or 27 gallons. A "firkin" was equivalent to about nine gallons.

We are told that these water pots were hewn out of stone, leaving us to surmise that they were not made of clay. Pottery was susceptible to becoming unclean. Even glass, made of sand, was not considered kosher, as it were. Thus, we learn that they were "six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews" (John 2:6). I once sat next to an orthodox Jew in a banquet and noticed that he was eating off of a paper plate with a plastic fork. Our regular china and silverware were not considered to be clean. Jewish purification rites are strict under the Mosaic covenant.

Why six water pots? I believe the six water pots coincide with six thousand years of human history. If you ask how six water pots can refer to time, I would remind you that the seven cows and seven ears of corn in Pharaoh’s dream represented time as well. It is not out of character for the Lord to play upon the numbers in an effort to cryptically designate time.

Furthermore, the "two or three firkins" (v. 6) seem to be alluding to this timed prophecy, as well. The numbers "2" and "3" fit quite nicely with all the other prophecies that seem to allude to two thousand years of the Church Age, followed by a thousand years of the Kingdom Age. If so, then we presently await the final fulfillment of the prophecy. We have entered upon the third millennium since the First Advent. The great heavenly wedding festival may soon occur.

I am inclined to think that verses 1, 6, and 19 may also represent clues to solving this mystery. Though the verse numbers may have been added later, they still represent individual statements or sentences. The sixth statement (i.e., verse 6) could easily be a reference to the six millennia that must precede the Kingdom Age. The 19th statement (i.e., verse 19) could even represent the 1900s, in which the Chosen People returned to their Promised Land to await the Second Advent of the Messiah.

Turning water into wine is an act of creation. An inanimate substance was actually given life — complete with plant DNA. Man cannot create such life. Therefore, this was no mere recipe for cooking up a tasty beverage. This involved something that only God can do. When contemplating this miracle, we must confront the enormity of the process. This miracle was even more involved than causing Aaron’s rod to blossom (Numbers 17:5). The DNA of the almond tree was already in Aaron’s wooden staff. Bringing it to life and speeding up the process of causing it to sprout leaves and flowers overnight was, of course, a miracle of monumental proportions. However, in this case, Jesus took something that had no DNA whatsoever, created the fruit of the vine and processed it into the finest wine those people had ever tasted — all in a split second! That is an absolutely incredible miracle!

John tells us that this miracle "manifested forth His glory" (John 2:11). This "glory," was referred to in the previous chapter as: "In Him was life: and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). Jesus used the Shekinah in order to turn the water into wine. Because of this particular miracle, His disciples were convinced that they were in the presence of the Creator of this universe. In the beginning, God took water and made all the elements that make up the universe — mountains, minerals, rocks, soil, plants, man … everything! We can see the water and the glory (i.e., light) in the first day of Creation: The "Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen. 1:2,3).

Turning water into wine also reminds us that during the Passover ritual, the four prescribed cups of wine are diluted with an equal amount of water! Furthermore, when the Roman soldier pierced the side of Christ, the wound released both blood and water:

"And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced" (John 19:32-37).

The blood and water are consistent with the wine and water in the Passover cups. It is fitting, therefore, that a story about the Passover should occur in this same chapter that tells about the miracle of turning water into wine. We shall review the four cups of Passover when we consider verses 13-25.

Rather than returning to Nazareth, just a short three-hour journey by foot to the south/southwest of Cana, Jesus traveled a much longer distance northeast to Capernaum, the city that was to become His headquarters for the next three and a half years:

"After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days" (John 2:12).

John tells us that "they" stayed there only a short time. Perhaps His mother and brethren went back to Nazareth after a few days. Since most of His disciples lived around Galilee, it is possible that Jesus accompanied them to their homes, then took leave to go into the wilderness for a time of fasting and temptation. Since Moses and Elijah each fasted for 40 days on Mount Sinai, it would seem reasonable that Jesus traveled to the same region. This is where the first covenant (Law) was given. Jesus now comes for the purpose of instituting a new covenant (Grace). Therefore, it seems right that He would fast on top of Sinai before facing Satan’s temptations.

Matthew records the Savior’s baptism and says: "Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil" (Matt. 4:1). Though it appears that Jesus left immediately for the wilderness, Matthew does not specifically say that.

Mark also records the Savior’s baptism and says: "And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness" (Mark 1:12). Of course, Mark uses the term "immediately" 17 times in his Gospel. Perhaps he is simply moving the story through to its conclusion. Mark finishes his Gospel in only 16 chapters, indicating a desire to quickly get the story told.

For a clearer view of our Savior’s journey into the wilderness, we should consult Luke’s account. He says: "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Luke 4:1). This account gives room for Jesus to return to Galilee before making His journey into the wilderness. That would conform to John’s account in the first two chapters of his Gospel.

Eventually, Jesus made His headquarters in Capernaum for the duration of His ministry. Peter lived there with his family. Jesus performed many miracles there, including raising the daughter of the local rabbi, Jairus.

In John’s Gospel, the ministry of Jesus seems to revolve around the spring festivals, whereas the book of Revelation sets forth the liturgy of the autumn festivals.

Theologians have often wondered why John speaks of cleansing the Temple in this chapter, as if it occurred at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, while Matthew, Mark and Luke place the cleansing of the Temple just days before His crucifixion. In fact, many suggest that there are two occasions for cleansing the Temple, and that we should not try to make them one event. However, it is my opinion that they could easily be the same event without violating the chronology of the life and ministry of Christ, as seen in the other Gospels.

John may not have intended for his Gospel to be chronological, as some would assume. Remember, John’s Gospel is not synoptic. It does not contain the details or structure of the other three Gospels. John could have been following an alphabetic design that required placing the story in this chapter, because of its prophetic significance.

Note that this chapter is divided into two stories, one that occurred at the beginning of our Savior’s ministry (the marriage at Cana), and one that occurred at the conclusion of His ministry (cleansing the Temple). On both occasions, we are given a reference to three days — a prophecy that will be fulfilled at the conclusion of this dispensation. Lifting the story that promises a rebuilding of the Temple from the final week and placing it here, points us to the final conclusion of this dispensation and the establishment of Heaven’s kingdom. There is no damage intended to the chronology of the Savior’s ministry. The story of the cleansing of the Temple is placed here because of the importance of its prophetic implications. John dates this on the occasion of the Jewish Passover:

"And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem" (John 1:13).

Even if this story is taken from the events of the third Passover in John’s Gospel, John still seems to use it to introduce the concept of a "Passover design" in the First Advent. Jesus was our Passover "lamb." He fulfilled the prophecies inherent in the spring festivals.

Since there are four cups of wine in the Passover ritual, one would assume that John would have used them all in his Gospel. Therefore, it has been suggested that there could be as many as four Passovers in John’s Gospel:

1. The one before us in chapter 2, verse 13;

2. The unnamed festival in chapter 5, verse 1;

3. The observance in Galilee in chapter 6, verse 4; and

4. The last Passover in chapter 12, verse 1.

We should note that most theologians have suggested that the unnamed festival in John 5:1 is a Passover. Bishop James Ussher, author of The Annals of the World (published in 1658), laid out a scenario for four Passovers. For the past 350 years, his work became the hallmark for biblical chronology. However, John did not give the festival in chapter 5 a title. It seems that John referred to most festivals as nameless, and only gave proper titles to the Passover and the Feast of Dedication. Therefore, we may have to exclude the unnamed festival from our list of Passovers. There may be only three Passovers in John’s Gospel. At least, that seems to be the case according to John, himself. From that perspective, the second Passover (6:4) would correspond to the cup of Thanksgiving, and the last Passover (12:1) would be the third Passover, corresponding to the cup of redemption. In this case, the fourth and final cup of completion would be reserved for Revelation.